4L60E transmission no reverse PLEASE HELP

I have a 1995 chevy 1500 4x4 350 engine and 150,000 miles with the 4l60e trans. I just bought the vehicle so I don't know the history of it but the previous owner said the reverse just stopped working all of a sudden. All the forward gears work fine including overdrive, all appropriate gears have engine braking and the trans upshifts and downshifts ok. When I put it in reverse it hesitates for about 2 or 3 seconds then the rpms drop a little like its going into reverse but it won't move unless its on a slight downhill then it will gently move backward but giving it gas doesn't help any, sometimes when I put in into reverse and rev the gas until it hits between 2500 and 3000 rpm it will start to shutter a little and gently move back as if its slipping then if I keep revving it up and down it will make a squeal sound and the reverse will engage and work just fine and will continue to work fine until I come to a complete stop or shift out of and back into reverse then it starts all over again where I have to rev it etc, I can do it this way a few times then it stops working all together no matter what I do (I think the trans is getting hot from revving it so high but I'm not sure) any help would be appreciated!!!!!! I already changed the very dirty fluid and filter and the fluid level is ok. need advice bad

No reverse, here are few things you can try before needing to take it to a tranny shop. The 4l60e trans is a fully electronic trans. And being so the problem could be as simle as the reverse shift solenoid has shortted out. Along that same line the reverse valve could be stuck and or the little screen that is attatched to the mid plat could be clogged and in order fix this problemyou need to drop out the valve boby and for the most part rebuild the reverse circute.

Thank you for that info. do you have any diagrams or anything to show what the reverse circuit is and what valves etc are in that circuit so i know where to focus my attention. its kind of an intermittent problem because now it won't go into reverse no matter what i do so i'm kind of leaning toward a valve issue or the reverse shift solenoid as you pointed out. any diagrams etc on the first paragraph of stuff you talked about would be greatly appreciated, thanks again!

Thank you for the info. I will take a look at it later today. I do realize this is an old post but had to ask the question. I have spent countless hours researching my issue and it was the only place where I saw the exact same issue I am having. I wish they would have posted some results for what the fix was... I also have the ATSG and update book on their way from Amazon. Thanks again for the info!! Much appreciated!

Just got a chance to check out the product at Jegs. That is the book I just purchased. Also got the update book on the way. Aside from the forum, is there a way I can find the email address of the person who started the thread? Thanks again!

If the trans has 150,000 your best bet is to yank it out or take it to a trans shop.1st gear and reverse work together. Don't take a chance of taring up more parts in that 4L60E. Parts are expensive. Contact TCI and see what they can do for you.

150,000 on a 4L60E is really good. So the guy you bought it from must have serviced it. '95 I don't know if they used DexronVI. Thats the synthetic. If you say all the fluid and filters are clean. Time for a rebuild....

Thank you for the info guys. I plan to yank the tranny at some point in the next week or so and use one of Monster Performance's kits. Best bang for the buck I have seen thus far. I also met a tranny guy last week who said he would walk me through the rebuild for $100.I will try to remamber to post our findings so that others may benefit in the future. If I forget and you see tgis thread in, say, six years(lol), shoot me an email at charlie.layne@yahoo.com and I will try to help.

Rebuilding transmissions isn't any harder than rebuilding an engine. A transmission rebuild requires special tools that won't be used for anything else but a trans rebuild. The tools are fairly expensive and hard to justify purchasing unless you plan on going through several transmissions. Some of the tools can be used for multiple models of transmission, th350, th400, th700r4r, 200-4r, etc. Some models of trans require tools that are specific to that model and won't/can't be used with and other model. There are a couple or so tools that can be fabricated at home if you have some time, scrap metal lying around, and are generally handy that way while other tools are better to be purchased.

Remember to flush the transmission cooler AND the torque converter IF you reuse it.

Ok, So I got the tranny out yesterday. It looks like there has been some tranny work done to it in the past. The converter had a sticker on it that said remanufactured for GM and there was a date of 3/16/02 written on the converter with a marker. I dont imagine you would replace the converter without replacing or overhauling the tranny. Any thoughts on this and whether I should reuse the converter? I plan to open the tranny up this weekend. Wish me luck!

Ok, so the trans is disassembled. The reverse clutch is toast and also had a blown seal. The other two clutch packs have substantial wear but no abnormal damage. The issue I have now is that the reverse clutch drum has a very slight wear mark(scratches) at 6 oclock. The case also hase the same issue. I plan to replace the reverse drum but need to salvage the trans case. I would feel comfortable cleaning up the scratched area at the bottom of the case but I need to be able to clean/polish it pretty well. I am thinking the scratches are possibly what damaged the seal and the cluth pack followed. Any ideas on how to clean up the aluminum case? I need to remove the scratches and polish it so that it seals up well and doesnt damage the seal in the future.